Panthers Storm By Hurricanes

     The Florida Panthers came back on the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night at PNC Arena. The Panthers jumped to first place in the Central Division with the victory.  It was the first time during the 2020-21 regular season that the Panthers did not play a multiple-game set against a opponent. 

     Carolina(10-3-1) picked up two goals 22 seconds apart late in the first period. They moved ahead 1-0 with 1:32 remaining in the first period. Warren Foegele intercepted an Aaron Ekblad pass at the top of the Panthers zone. He made a lead pass and Jordan Staal roofed a snap shot from the left circle by Chris Driedger for his seventh goal of the season. 

     The Canes made it 2-0 with 1:10 remaining. Brock McGinn cycled the puck from the right corner. Brett Pesce released a wrist shot from the right point and Sebastian Aho deflected it from the slot area. 

     In the second period, Florida(10-2-2) closed it to 2-1 at the 9:48 mark on a power-play goal. Keith Yandle fired a long outlet pass and Jonathan Huberdeau snapped a shot from the left-circle dot past Alex Nedeljkovic for his sixth goal of the year.  

     The Panthers tied the contest at 3:11 of the third period. Alex Wennberg connected a pass from the red line to Huberdeau on right wing. Huberdeau returned it back on a no-look backhand pass from the right circle and Wennberg scored on a one-time shot from the left of the crease. Patric Hornqvist was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 

     Juho Lammikko compiled his first NHL goal with 7:54 to go in the third to give Florida their first lead of the contest 3-2. Ryan Lomberg got to the loose puck in the neutral zone and handed it off. Lammikko carried the puck down the right side of the Carolina zone and squeezed by a backhand shot from an acute angle in the lower right circle. 

     The Hurricanes responded back with a tally on the man advantage with 6:21 left to make it 3-3. Dougie Hamilton put across a pass to Andrei Svechnikov above the left circle. He send a hard pass to the left of the crease and former Panther Vincent Trocheck redirected it into the Florida cage for his seventh goal this season. 

     Florida got the winning goal in overtime at the 2:29 mark. Aleksander Barkov intercepted a cross-ice pass in the Panthers zone and forwarded a backhand pass. Huberdeau skated all the way down the ice on a breakaway, make a deke with a backhand and put in a forehand shot for his second goal of the game and seventh of the campaign.